Treatment for Memory Loss

All of us have elderly family members who are suffering from memory loss. With advancing years, the memory dysfunction with its associated problems becomes quite unmanageable. Your general physician probably advised you to visit a psychiatrist for managing such cases. Before you type best psychiatrist in Kolkata into the search engine, we recommend you read up on memory loss and its treatment methods. This article is a short overview of the dangerous disease that is dementia from a psychiatrist’s point of view.

The cause

With age, the brain begins to atrophy (simply put, wither away). It is a natural process. However, which part of the brain withers more and how fast varies from individual to individual. Depending on these parameters, the manifestation of the disease varies.

Symptoms

Most people become forgetful initially. They misplace items of daily use quite often. They find it difficult to find their way back home when they venture out of their immediate neighborhood. As the disease progresses, navigating one’s way around the house becomes difficult. They mix up relatives and acquaintances. Changes in behavior usually follow memory loss. But in some cases of dementia, the behavioral problems precede memory loss. The patients become irritable, depressed and suspicious. They claim to see or hear people from their youthful days. Oftentimes, they cannot recognize their own reflection in the mirror.  They may relieve themselves in inappropriate places and forget to dress properly before stepping out of the bathroom. The behavioral problems usually worsen in the evening. The sleep cycle is disturbed in almost all cases.

Treatment

There is no treatment that can entirely cure dementia. Our best shot is to slow down the process of withering. Medications need to be taken regularly and lifelong. The behavioral problems are manageable on medications but frequent check-ups are necessary to make sure the patient is tolerating the medicines well. Along with that it is absolutely mandatory to ensure that the patient’s clinical parameters like blood pressure, blood glucose, electrolytes etc. are adequately controlled.

Role of caregivers

Family members who act as primary caregivers for the patients must understand two things clearly. First, that the disease is irreversible and progressive. Second, behavioral changes are a part of the process. Accordingly, the family is advised to handle such patients with utmost care and vigilance. The patients are not to step out of the house alone. They would have trouble finding their way back. Whenever they do step out, they should have an identity card with the family’s address and contact number on their person. They should be oriented regarding the day, date, time and their surroundings on a daily basis. Absolutely nothing is to be changed in their immediate surroundings, that is, the furniture, draping etc. within the house should be kept the same. In advanced stages, it is advised to put up signboards in the corridors of the house pointing to the washroom, kitchen, dining hall etc. Whenever they behave erratically, it is advisable to bear with them patiently.

In a nutshell, memory loss in old age is a progressive disease that comes with a series of associated problems. The management relies heavily on the active participation of family members. Without the caregiver’s co-operation, even the best psychiatrist in Kolkata can do very little for the patients.